Saints’ next step comes Saturday

Monday

Jan 3, 2011 at 7:58 AM

The New Orleans Saints and their many fans entered Sunday thinking that if things went right, the Black and Gold could again secure the No. 1 seed in the NFC and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.Unfortunately, things didn’t go according to plans.For the Saints to finish the regular season in the top spot, they had to beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the Atlanta Falcons had to lose to the Carolina Panthers.Neither occurred.The Falcons blew out the woeful Panthers, and the Buccaneers beat the Saints, who had taken out most of their starters by the end of the game.It wasn’t the way the defending Super Bowl champions wanted to end the season, and their fans most likely won’t have a chance to see a home playoff game this year.But that is not the end of the story.Instead, the Saints’ faithful are already looking forward to Saturday, when this year’s Super Bowl express gets under way.The Saints will have less time than usual to prepare for their next opponent, the Seattle Seahawks, and to rest up from this week’s game. And New Orleans will have to travel all the way to the West Coast to play the Seahawks at home.But the Saints have several factors on their side.First, they already beat the Seahawks this season. Back on Nov. 21, New Orleans outplayed Seattle on its way to a 34-19 victory in a game that saw Saints quarterback Drew Brees throw for nearly 400 yards and four touchdowns. The Saints also ran the ball for more than 100 yards against a lackluster Seahawks defense.That game was played in the Superdome in front of a friendly crowd, but the Saints should play just fine on the road.The Saints had a better record this year playing on the road (6-2) than they did playing at home (5-3).Then there is the fact that the Seahawks are the first team in the history of the NFL to win its division with a losing record.Seattle might have gotten into the playoffs largely because of the poor quality of its division, but the Saints should not take the team lightly as they prepare this week for the opening round of the playoffs.Seattle boasts loud, proud fans who like to make things difficult for visiting teams.The Saints, though, are up to the task. The Black and Gold fought through many challenges last year on their way to a championship, and this year will see its share of challenges as well.Saturday’s game in Seattle is just the next hurdle.Geaux Saints!

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